Aisha Buhari slams govs for failing to provide infrastructure, amenities

…First Lady, Sultan disagree on social media regulation
Adelani Adepegba, Abuja

The First Lady, Aisha Buhari has slammed state governors for failing to provide basic social amenities and infrastructure, noting that things were getting out of hand.

Stating that her husband cannot handle the challenges facing the nation alone, Buhari admonished the political leaders to work together to bail the country out of the doldrums.

Speaking at the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs general assembly and national executive council meeting held at the National Mosque in Abuja on Friday, the First Lady called on the Muslim Ummah in the country to embrace the directive that would be issued by the council.

She said, “We should either fasten our seatbelt and do the needful or we will all regret it very soon because, at the rate things are going, things are getting completely out of hand. The VP (Vice President Yemi Osinbajo) is here, some ministers are here, they are supposed to do justice to the situation.

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“People cannot afford potable water in this country while we have governors. Since this is the highest decision-making body of Islamic affairs, for those that are listening we should fear God, and we should know that one day, we will return to God and account for our deeds here on earth.”

Mrs Buhari also called for the regulation of social media, noting that China with about 1.3 billion people had done so, stressing that many people could not relax in their villages due to insecurity.

She added, “On this issue of social media, you cannot just sit in the comfort of your house and tweet that the Vice President has resigned. It is a serious issue. If China can control over 1.3 billion people on social media, I see no reason why Nigeria cannot attempt controlling only 180 million people.”

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in his address admonished Nigerians to be their brother’s keeper regardless of their religious affiliation, noting that all Nigerians are equal.

He stated, “It is my view that the weight of ensuring that this country is on the right track is on our leaders. We should be our brother’s keeper no matter the religion. We should always be ready to make sacrifices for one another. We have religious and tribal tension in this country, many are beating the drum of ethnic and religious war. We are at a historic juncture of our nation.”

The NSCIA President and the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar said the nation must come together to address its challenges, insisting that girl-child education and the Almajiri phenomenon must be addressed urgently.

He disagreed with the calls for social media regulation, stating that there were laws to deal with the abuse of the platforms.

Abubakar said, “I have received so many calls on the need to regulate social media. In Nigeria, there are so many laws that can deal with this issue.

“As Muslim leaders, what are we doing about these things? We must educate our children especially the girl-child. We have millions of Almajiri children moving about on the streets.

“Some people even proposed having a hate speech law. We must accept the outcome of whatever the people decided. After all, people voted for our political leaders. Let us listen to the voices of the people. It is important for us to do the wish of Nigerians.”